Revenge and ambivalence

Hamlet’s dilemma begins

Elizabethans’ contradictory views on revenge
Moral and Religious Stance Social and Aristocratic Stance
Forgiveness is paramount Honour is paramount
Goodness is superior to greatness “Turn the Nobility carries a lot of social weight
other cheek” Hesitation suggests cowardice
The soul is eternal; political power is temporal Suicide is more noble than cowardice as it
Murderous revenge is a mortal sin challenges Fate
Suicide challenges God’s will

The ambivalence
Hamlet feels
springs from these
two very divergent
views on revenge.
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The typical revenge play
Grievous insult or wrong requires vengeance Hamlet’s father was murdered

Justice often unattainable because of power

Claudius is the murderer and is now king
relationships (kings, for example)
Subjective struggle of the avenger important: Hamlet is unsure about the ghost’s intentions
Hamlet cannot help but overthink
ambivalence The Danish court seems to be on Claudius’s side
obstacles.
Hamlet’s antic disposition and his real
Avenger fights against OR feigns madness grief at Ophelia and Gertrude’s deception
Avenger wallows in the moral difficulties “To be or not to be”
Dramatic bloodbath at the end (deaths often Hamlet’s distrust of the ghost
Hamlet’s ambivalence about the morality of revenge
horrible and ritualistic)
Four deaths in final scene
Deaths planned
Poison a vicious and painful way to die 3
Hamlet’s revenge
Hamlet’s reasons for revenge: Hamlet’s views of revenge:

Claudius has usurped his position One needs to forget about trivial things to focus
on revenge: “from the table of my memory
Claudius has blasphemously married Hamlet’s I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records” I.v.98-
mother 99

Claudius has murdered Hamlet’s father One needs bravery: “my sinews … bear me stiffly
up.” I.v.94

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Horatio and Marcellus
Marcellus: Horatio:

Adherent of traditional Roman Catholic Adherent of the more contemporary Reformist

worldview: / Protestant worldview:

Ghosts are spirits of the departed Ghosts are evil spirits

Not well-educated Well-educated (attends varsity with Hamlet)

“Something is rotten in the state of Denmark” “There needs no ghost, my lord, come from the
I.iv.90 - recognises corruption through grave, to tell us this” I.v.125 - recognises
superstition corruption by the state of the country

Afraid of ghost: “Question it, Horatio!” I.i.45 Confronts ghost

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Ghosts and the cellarage scene
Ghosts were a perfectly normal idea for an The cellarage scene is odd:
Elizabethan audience - nothing unrealistic The ghost cannot be seen nor heard by
In the Roman Catholic tradition, ghosts were Marcellus and Horatio - Hamlet’s references
departed souls: to the ghost’s utterances make him seem
Unconfessed sins at death → soul would remain mad before Hamlet can warn them that it is
in Purgatory until sins were atoned for; soul merely an act
would wander earth at night
The audience would also be unsure of the
In the Protestant tradition, ghosts were demons
ghost’s intent - the actor would be below the
or evil spirits intent on malice
stage trapdoor, the usual position for a
Hamlet’s worldview is Reformist (Protestant
demon or evil spirit (Hell)
from University of Wittenburg)
The confusion sets the backdrop for the chaos
He has to confess his worldview might be
and confusion of Hamlet’s world and
wrong: “There are more things in heaven
thoughts throughout the play.
and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in
your philosophy.” I.v.166-167
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Hamlet’s antic disposition
(How strange or odd some’er I bear myself, Hamlet realises that he will need to act in such
a way that he does not seem to be a threat to
As I perchance hereafter shall think meet
Claudius - ‘discreet’ in the broad sense of the
To put an antic disposition on) word.
That you at such times seeing me, never shall “antic” suggests that his actions will be
distracting and incongruous with the
With arms unencumbered thus, or this head-shake,
situation at hand
Or by pronouncing of some dreadful phrase He realises that even his friends might think
… him mad - hence his warning to Horatio and
Or such ambiguous giving out, to note Marcellus.
Hamlet’s plan is to distract Claudius’s attention
That you know aught of me -- from his real motive - to discover the truth
and, if need be, take revenge.

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Hamlet’s second soliloquy (I.v.92-104)
Note the impassioned
introduction O all you host of heaven! O earth! What else? 92
And shall I couple hell? O fie! Hold, hold, my heart,
Note his confusion
about from where the And you, my sinews, grow not instant cold, Repetition to help
ghost comes - good But bear me stiffly up... (He rises) Remember thee? 95 him steel himself
or evil? for the task of
Ay thou poor ghost whiles memory holds a seat revenge
Reference to chaos In this distracted globe. Remember thee?
in Denmark
Yea, from the table of my memory
Notice the deep I’ll wipe away all trivial fond records,
irony of this
statement: this will
All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past 100
consume Hamlet to That youth and observation copied there,
the point of False sense of
And thy commandment all alone shall live
paralysis confidence - as if
Within the books and volume of my brain, he is trying to
Unmixed with baser matter. Yes by heaven! convince himself

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 Hamlet’s second soliloquy (I.v.105-111)
The sentiment about
Gertrude from his
first soliloquy
repeated her.
Strongly emotive: O most pernicious woman! 105
bringing disaster
O villain, villain, smiling, damnéd villain!
THEME of APPEARANCE
Repetition of his
disgust for Gertrude
My tables, meet it is I set it down and REALITY
- disbelief at her (He writes)
actions That one may smile, and smile, and be a villain;
At least I am sure it may be so in Denmark...
So, uncle, there you are. Now, to my word. 110
It is ‘Adieu, adieu! remember me.’...
He becomes passionate at the
Hamlet’s doubts and his weakened
thought of his mother’s sexual
resolution are central. His uncertainty
perversion and his uncle’s
about the ghost makes him waver. He
deceptively smirking face. His
tries to steel himself for the task -
inability to act and his propensity
ironic considering his certitude while
for passive thought come to the
talking to the ghost. 9
fore quite forcefully.